Moonlight
by Agent Xero
Summary: After a tough day of work, Christine thinks Erik needs to unwind and relax…and what better way to do that then some nighttime fun in the snow? But will a little wintertime fun blossom into an unexpected love?


Disclaimer: don't own Phantom…

I got this idea as a friend of mine and me were watching "Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas

The song that Erik will be singing is Hugh Panaro's "You're Already There." From _Broadway's Fabulous Phantoms._

**Summary**: After a tough day of work, Christine thinks Erik needs to unwind and relax…and what better way to do that then some nighttime fun in the snow? But will a little wintertime fun blossom into an unexpected love?

This will be a one-shot, so enjoy and please leave a review!

**Moonlight**

Her staff pounded on the floor, and her voice echoed throughout the stage. "All right, ladies!" Madame Giry said. "Wonder rehearsal. Come, come. Gather around." The dancers began to crowd around the stage manager as she continued her speech. "That was one of the best rehearsals we have had, and you all should be proud of yourselves." She looked around, but two faces were absent. "Christine! Meg! Oh, where are those girls?"

"Here, Mother!" Meg called as her and Christine were visible cutting into the front. Madame Giry smiled at Christine.

"Wonderful rehearsal, Christine. Tomorrow's performance will be marvelous. Take the night off and go celebrate, you all deserved it."

Christine smiled in thanks and immediately made her way towards her dressing room. Her Angel was expecting her for a dinner and her weekly lesson. Christine shut her dressing room door and waited.

"Christine," a mysterious voice said.

"Erik?" she asked into the darkness. A face began to appear in the mirror and it nodded.

"Come to me, Christine. Dinner awaits you down below, and you are in time for your weekly lesson." He held a hand out to her. Christine took it and was about to step into the mirror when a knock came at the door.

"Christine, it's Raoul." His voice penetrated the door. Christine was about to call out when she heard Madame Giry push Raoul away. She turned back towards Erik as she stepped through the mirror and into the hallway.

A few minutes later she found herself passing under the iron gate and into his lair. There, a table sat with some luscious fruits, wine and a soup resigned.

He helped her out and motioned for her to sit across from him. _'What has gotten into him?'_ She asked herself. _'Erik never used to offer me food, let alone cook dinner.'_

"Pardon my asking, but is there a special occasion for all of this?" she asked curiously.

Erik gave her glance as he poured a glass full of wine and handed it to her. She watched his cheeks blush with shyness. "I just wanted to cook you something."

Christine let out a small chuckle and cocked her head. "But if you would rather have dinner with the Viscomte, you are more then welcome to."

She didn't answer right away, but sipped the wine. "No, this is quite all right." she took another sip. "I just didn't think you cooked. I mean you compose, you're a magician, a musical genius, an architect," she chuckled at the next thought. "cold blooded killer," He gave her a stare, his eyes cold. "I was kidding, Erik. Besides, you work too much."

He let out a hearty laugh. "Work? My dear, you have no idea what work is." He took a sip of his wine. "Now, lets eat. Your lessons wait."

He sat down across from her as they began to eat.

**Much later**

Christine awoke surrounded in a red velvet blanket, and the faint sent of a sweet brandy lingered on it. Her dinner with the Angel was exquisite, and her lessons went fairly well. She had fallen asleep somewhere along the way and wound up in his bed. That same music box played its all too familiar tune, which she normally woke to.

A low and mysterious voice echoed throughout the cavern as she heard Erik begin to sing. A piano accompanied it. "What is that?" Christine asked. She closed her eyes as the music surrounded her and pulled her out of the bed. "It's beautiful." She muttered.

_"Trying to sleep, alone in my bed.  
Thoughts of the future go round in my head.  
How will I find, a love of my own?  
A love of a kind that I've never known.  
Don't know where I'm going, don't know what to do.  
I take comfort knowing, that right here and now, you're out in the world.  
Searching for me, too. You're already there, waiting for me.  
Wondering where in the world I can be.  
You go through your day, dreaming your dream, afraid that it won't come true,  
While I'm lying here, dreaming of you…"_

"That's beautiful, Erik." She said. He stopped abruptly and quickly shuffled the papers. He earned a smile from her as she watched the nervous Phantom. "Like I said," she stated as the walked over and sat next to him. "You work too hard."

He gave her a look. "And what are you going to do about it?" Christine gave him a mischievous smile and grabbed his hand.

"I'll show you!" She shouted happily pulled him along. She put his cape around him, then took hers and threw it around her neck. "Come on, Erik!" she said as she pulled him towards the surface.

**At an abandoned lake**

"Christine, what on earth are we doing here?" Erik asked, a bit annoyed that she dragged him here.

The soprano sat down in the show and pulled the laces on her ice skates tight. "Like I said, you work to hard. I'm going to get your mind out of your work and into something else."

Erik raised an eyebrow. "And how _exactly_ are you going to do that?"

Christine took a handful of snow and compacted it into a snowball. "You know what would is even better then working?" Christine asked him. Erik gave her a strange look as she stood up.

That's when he saw the snowball in her hand. "A snowball fight!" she said and threw the snowball at him. It hit him right in the face as he jumped.

"Hey, that's cold!" he shouted. But Christine kept throwing snowballs at him, despite his curses. "All right, that's it!" he said and threw them back at her. Not too soon after that there was a full-blown war between them. Erik laughed as he neared Christine and tackled her into the snow. Her hair became covered in it as she pushed him off of her and grabbed a handful of snow and perched it above his face.

"I surrender!" he shouted before she could smash it in his face. "You win, Christine."

"That's a good idea." She joked. With a smile, she began to walk towards the lake with him trailing her.

She stood up and threw a pair of skates at him. "Do you know how to ice skate?"

The Phantom's face turned red. "Well, I, umm…I used to do it when I was a kid."

But Christine was all ready out on the ice and doing all kinds of turns and jumps. "Umm, maybe I should just stay here."

Christine skated over and plopped down in the snow. "Nonsense. You can skate, come on Erik." She said. "Skate with me."

Seeing that the girl had her heart set, he sighed. "Fine. But, if I fall…promise not to laugh?"

The girl nodded. "Cross my heart." She sped off again as he laced up his shoes. Erik slowly stood up and placed a skate on the ice. "Come on!" she called. But seeing his hesitation she sighed. "Try it like this…" she counted as she skated. "One, two, three…one, two, three."

Erik slowly moved forward. "One…two…three…one…two…th-" he leaned too far inward and fell back onto his bottom.

"Oh dear, are you all right?" He stood up slowly and rubbed his bottom.

"I fell and landed on my," he looked behind him then suddenly closed his cape around his body. "On…on the ice."

Christine suppressed a laugh and held her hands out to him. "Take my hands." He took them as he glided along the ice, the memory, a pleasant one, came back to him as his legs picked up.

_"Mother!" he cried. "Mother, look at me skate!" Ten-year-old Erik called. But his mother had ignored him again. Discouraged, the boy sighed and went along his way, his skates glided swiftly._

He soon left her hands and sped off in front of her, expertly gliding along the ice. "I thought you didn't know how!" she stated, impressed as he circled around her.

"I never said that I don't know how. You assumed that, Christine." He said. Okay, so he enjoyed ice-skating as a child. No big deal. They stayed towards the outside of the lake as a curious thought came to mind. "Where did you learn that?"

Christine chuckled. "A fewyears ago, back when my father was alive, he used to take me skating."

The wind picked up as the Phantom glided across the ice. He looked at Christine's happy face, a thought came to mind. "Take my hand, Christine." He said. Christine gave him a curious look, but took his hand.

She felt him pull her towards the middle and spin her around a few times. They laughed together as they preformed little dances and small maneuvers that Erik knew.

The clouds began to clear as the moonlight shown down on the pair. The loose snow from the previous night's snow picked up as the wind began to blow stronger. Christine laughed as Erik twirled her inward and held her close. But instead of twirling back out, Christine remained in his arms. He felt her slowly shiver.

"Christine, are you cold?" he asked. She shook her head.

"A little, but not much." Her teeth chattered. The wind died down for a moment as Erik's cape settled down. He grabbed the ends of it and wrapped them around her shivering body. Christine felt his body connect with hers as they glided slowly across the ice.

The heat coming off of his body warmed her greatly. That same sweet scent of brandy hung in his clothes. Erik felt her wrap her arms around his waist and place her head on his shoulder. They spun in small circles as they kept each other warm, and invisible smiles were on their faces.

The moon began to shine on the two as they held each other close. Erik felt her holding him. Her heart pounded rapidly against his. "Christine," he said. "Maybe we should head back."

"Five more minutes, please." She asked. "I just wanted to spend some time with you, Erik."

He was amazed. She wanted to spend time, with him? Not Raoul, not Meg, but him. "All right, but _just_ five."

Christine smiled and rested her head back in his shoulder. They spun around in small circles as the moon cast a bright shadow over them. Christine suddenly picked her head up and gazed into his eyes. She felt his heart race as he let out a slow breath.

A strange sensation came over her and she felt herself lean up towards him. Strangely, Erik found himself leaning in to meet her half way. The snow picked up again and surrounded them in a cloud.

He suddenly felt her lips caress his in a warm and tender kiss…


End file.
